A prevailing theme in Houston continues to be that employment opportunities are booming. For the state as a whole, Texas' unemployment rate remains well below national average. At the same time, much is being reported on the skill shortages and the war on talent, and the ability of companies to appeal to the needs and wants of various generations of employees.

Companies also are focused on developing their future leadership through specific career-path opportunities, often in the form of relocation assignments, both domestic and international.

Dault said that while the low unemployment rate in Texas is great news, the challenge for HR professionals continues to be the ability to fill different types of positions.

"When I talk to HR professionals, they say that they have openings and have applicants coming in from all over the world. The challenge is that they are looking for very specific skills," she said. "They need engineers like crazy. They also need hotel workers, transportation workers and restaurant workers, so it doesn't necessarily mean that they are only looking for top-level professionals."

Dault said that due to the war on talent, she is seeing more benefits, including relocation benefits, being offered to new hires.

"We're seeing a lot more companies saying: We want you so bad that even though you're a new hire, we are going to treat you like you're a current employee and give you those services that we normally give to people that have been with us for quite a while," she said.

Dault also addressed the influx of foreign nationals into the Houston market.

"We see a trend of more international people coming into Houston than we have ever seen. Houston has been an international hotspot for a long time just because of the type of work that we do here," Dault said.

From an international relocation standpoint, Dault said the trend has moved toward more short-term assignments, and employees going on relocation assignments unaccompanied by spouses and families. She said that this is due in part to the growing objection to family disruption.

Employee-retention issues also are at the forefront for HR professionals. According to Dault, a recent SHRM survey revealed that the three biggest challenges facing HR over the next 10 years are:

Retaining and rewarding the best employees,

Developing the next generation of leaders, and

Creating that corporate culture that attracts these employees to your organization.

The things that have attracted Baby Boomers and other generations of employees into different organizations are not the same things that appeal to the Millennial generation.

Dault said companies have to approach hiring and benefits in a different way in order to appeal to this younger generation of employee.

"It is a whole different breed, and what they're looking for is what companies can give them for their arsenal of talent development that they can take with them," she said.

Dault said that many companies also are looking at things such as vacation policies and offering the same benefits to new hires that they offer for employees who have been with the company for several years.

According to Dault, the younger generation often is more concerned with things such as company culture and what the company is doing for the environment than they might be about benefits, like having a 401(k).

Mark Bennett is executive vice president at TheMIGroup, a relocation management company with offices in Houston. He said that one of the key concerns for companies right now is leadership development, which is often done through relocation opportunities.

"We're starting to see a little bit more emphasis with the big firms in making sure they are establishing the future leaders, and focusing on new hires and bringing them into the organization and giving them opportunities to relocate," he said.

Bennett said companies are looking at their high-potential employees and moving them around the world or into different parts of the U.S. in order to provide them with the experience needed from an internal perspective.

In many cases, companies are having a tougher time convincing the younger generation of employees to go on foreign assignments, and like Dault, Bennett said there is reluctance when a family is involved.

"I think that the whole notion of the family nest is a little tighter than it used to be. Also you have a lot of families that are dependent on multiple incomes and there are often multiple careers to manage," he said.

Michelle Sandlin is a writer and relocation industry expert. She is the 2014 President of Houston Relocation Professionals (HRP), and is a speaker at various conferences and events locally and around the country. Follow Michelle on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HoustonRelocation and on Twitter: @MichelleSandlin. Also visit "On the Move - Exploring Houston Relocation with Michelle Sandlin" at blog.chron.com/onthemove. If you have something to share or contribute, please send an email to michelle.sandlin@me.com. Please look for another Michelle Sandlin "On the Move" relocation article in today's Homes section.